DURHAM skipper Jon Lewis was at his most dogged yesterday as he kept his side afloat at soggy Colchester.

He is not in good form and he never looked secure, but in tricky conditions he battled all day after the 1.45 start to remain unbeaten on 74 out of 174 for six.

Back on the Castle Park ground where he played club cricket in his youth, Lewis called on his fighting qualities to fashion his first championship half-century against his former county at a time when a lesser man would be tempted to throw in the towel.

Durham's recent championship form has been dreadful and after sharing only the second half-century opening stand of the season with Gareth Breese, it must have been very depressing for the captain to see the score plummet from 60 without loss to 77 for three.

They weren't helped by an interruption for rain with the total on 53, and Lewis must have been reflecting that this was the third successive time he had given himself a tricky decision by winning the toss. At Grace Road his gamble of putting Leicestershire in backfired horribly, and he has since chosen to bat in damp conditions against Somerset and Essex.

Following an early-morning downpour, play was delayed for the same reason as it did not take place at all at Riverside last Saturday - wet run-ups.

But there was a greater willingness to get the show on the road here, with Essex believing they still have a chance of promotion after two recent victories.

They looked a poor side at Riverside early in the season, but are much stronger now with Darren Gough and the injury-prone Ashley Cowan opening the bowling, Ronnie Irani fit again and New Zealander Andre Adams proving a useful acquisition.

Adams, who generates decent pace from an economical run-up, is obviously a fiery character. He gave Kyle Coetzer a dose of the verbals after the determined youngster played and missed at three successive balls and later bowled a beamer at Lewis after having a couple of lbw shouts turned down.

Back in the days when Essex regularly won the title people used to say they were helped by suffering less rain than everywhere else, but they have obviously had their share recently and the area beyond the boundary boards was a quagmire. The Press tent certainly wouldn't have been fit for play.

The pitch was greener than the norm and against accurate bowling from Gough and Cowan the Durham openers did well to survive the first 12 overs.

Lewis rode a fair amount of luck, but after the season he's had no-one could begrudge him that. Playing back, he looked very close to lbw to Gough's fourth ball of the day, but this was a day when umpires John Holder and Trevor Jesty were in sympathetic mood.

Holder was finally persuaded to raise his finger when Coetzer padded up to Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and was adjudged lbw when well forward. He had contributed an impressive 29 to a fourth-wicket stand of 58.

Three of the nine fours Lewis hit in his 86-ball 50 came off the edge and he was dropped at cover on 52 by James Middlebrook off Adams. After that he became virtually strokeless as he concentrated on seeing out the day.

Breese had made only three when he clipped Cowan square off his toes for four and he played several more very attractive shots in reaching 34 before falling in the second over after the shower.

He played back and edged Cowan to third slip and two overs later Gordon Muchall fell in similar fashion, with wicketkeeper James Foster diving in front of first slip to hold the catch.

When Gough returned Marcus North carelessly turned him straight to square leg. He is not helping his chances of a return next season with four successive single-figure scores, nor did Gavin Hamilton do himself or his captain any favours by cutting to backward point.

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